2021 was another dynamic year for Hallyu fans. To fully bid adieu to that year, let’s first look back to its most unforgettable happenings.
1. #BTSBiot Trends
#BTSBiot started out from a graduation photoshoot. BTS fans known as ‘ARMYS’ went wild and expressed their anger and disappointments on how their idols were called “biot” (read as bayot) or gays. This also gained more attention as this happened during the Pride Month celebration.
2. Three Kim Cancel Issue
South Korean fans are known to be very tough towards their public figures. That's why Korean entertainment is being strict with their artist image. One negative issue about a certain artist can lead to a downfall of his/her career even if it happened in their past.
After the success of Mr. Queen, Kim Jung Hyun was accused of being rude to SNSD’s Seohyun in their drama Time. The issue arose after an old video where the actor displayed a jutek face towards the actress during the press conference of their drama in 2018. Aside from that, he was also accused of gaslighting actress Seo Yea Ji of It’s Okay to not be okay. Five months after the controversies, he signed a contract with a different company.
Kim Ji-Soo, on the other hand, was replaced out of his role in River Where the Moon Rises after being accused of being a perpetrator of sexual violence during his middle school. These charges became false rumors after the writer of the post reached out to Ji-Soo’s former agency and admitted that the post was false and apologized. Shortly, he was announced to be enlisted for mandatory military service in October 2021.
Meanwhile, Kim Seon-Ho’s ex-girlfriend accused the actor to have urged her to have an abortion and was promised marriage. This controversy came after the success of Hometown Cha-cha-cha. Seon-Ho is back in the industry after her ex-girlfriend issued a public apology saying “I received an apology from him. I think there were misunderstandings between us."
3. BINJIN as couple revealed
Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin of Crash landing on you made their fans’ dreams come true this year, after being revealed as the first couple on New Year’s Day of 2021 by South Korea’s biggest paparazzi media ‘Dispatch’. Around November of that year the couple are said to be getting married soon!
4. BTS’s First American Deasang
The group won their first American Deasang (an award that holds the highest achievements a group or artist can achieve). They were hailed as Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. BTS is now holding the record as the first-ever Asian act to have ever won the category of the awards show.
5. BTS Appointed as Korean Presidential envoys
From K-Pop idols to Korean diplomats, BTS proves that they aren’t just artists that are idolized by millions of fans around the world but also leaders for future generations.
South Korean President Moon Jae-In appointed BTS as “special presidential envoy for future generations and culture". After the ceremony, diplomatic passports and fountain pens were presented by the President. They were accompanied by President Moon on their visit in the 76th United Nations General Assembly Session held in New York as their first task as the presidential envoys.
6. Squid Games’s World Domination
K-Drama Series Squid Game gained world domination after being released this year. The series became the first K-Drama on Netflix’s top ten weekly most-watched TV shows charts globally. It reached number one in 94 countries including the United States and United Kingdom with 3.26 billion minutes watched in the U.S. from September 27 to October 3, 2021. These ratings made it the most-viewed streaming program to date in 2021.
7. Park Seo Joon Joins Marvel
Park Seo Joon’s agency announced in September that the actor will soon be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They haven’t disclosed the title of the film but it was rumored to be part of “The Marvels”, the sequel to Captain Marvel, and a continuation of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. He was speculated to play the role of Korean-American Superhero Amadeus Cho: on August 3. He left South Korea to begin filming, according to his agency in a statement posted on Instagram last September.
8. GOT7 Disbandment
The disbandment of the Korean boy band GOT7 was one of the greatest distresses in the K-Pop community in 2021. The group and their company JYP Entertainment both decided and agreed to put an end on the group’s contract after having seven years with the label while hoping for a fresh future on January 19, 2021.
9. Park Shin Hye pregnancy
K-drama stars Park Shin-Hye and Choi Tae-Joon broke the internet last year after announcing on November 23 that both stars are tying the knot and that the actress is pregnant with their first child. The two are getting married on January 22, 2022 in Seoul.
10. Kpop Idols that tested Positive for Covid-19
Indeed coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) virus has no excuse even to Korean Idols. This year, there are more than 29 K-Pop stars that were reported to have been positive for Covid-19. This includes blackpink’s Lisa, BTS members Suga, RM and Jin after returning from U.S. for their Permission to Dance on Stage LA concert, almost all of the Enhypen members Jungwon, Heesung, Jay, Jake and Sunghoon tested positive with mild symptoms, BtoB’s Minhyuk was having difficulties in breathing and had a splitting headache, while EXO put all their performances on hold after Xiumin caught the virus.